Paul Scholes has made a brutal assessment of which players Manchester United should eliminate from their current squad.
With the exception of perhaps one or two stars, the future of the entire Red Devils squad is uncertain as the club looks to navigate its new world under Ruben Amorim.
Furthermore, United's co-owners Ineos have made no secret of their desire to cut costs in an effort to improve the club's financial position and with the January window open for another two weeks, there is expected to be plenty of activity at Old Trafford.
Scholes, who made 714 appearances for the club during his illustrious career, gave his opinion on which players he believes should be dropped.
Many in the United dressing room will be relieved that he is not the one calling the shots, having removed up to eight players from a recent starting XI.
Perhaps their most surprising decision was to keep goalkeeper Andre Onana, who has been the subject of much criticism since his arrival last summer and was responsible for two of Brighton's goals in last weekend's 3-1 defeat.
Manchester United has not achieved the desired improvement with Rubén Amorim, appointed in November
The Red Devils suffered their tenth defeat of the league campaign on Sunday and fell to 13th place in the standings.
Paul Scholes believes up to eight players from United's current squad should be sold
“I think I'd keep it,” he told TNT Sports. “I still think there's more to come from him, but for now, I'll keep him.”
Scholes was not as lenient with the summer signing of Matthijs de Ligt, nor Lisandro Martínez. As for England's Luke Shaw and Mason Mount, their injury problems influenced Scholes' decision.
'I really like the player, he's just never fit. Sell.' Scholes said of the full-back, who has made just three appearances this season.
However, the former England international was very confident that United should keep two of their young stars who have been linked with moves away, as the club attempts to comply with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Homegrown players are worth 100 per cent of the profits on a club's balance sheet, and United are willing to listen to grudging offers for Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho. Mail Sport exclusively reported earlier this month that Chelsea are leading the race for the England star if he leaves.
Scholes has been vocal in his opposition to this move, telling TNT Sports last week that he believes it is a “ridiculous” decision.
“It would be absolutely ridiculous if the club had to sell him,” he said. 'All the hard work the club had to do, he's been here since he was seven or eight, Mainoo, and then you have to sell him because of PSR rules? It's ridiculous.
“He is United's brightest spark, the protagonist who could be here for the next five to ten years.”
United's co-owners Ineos have been on a cost-cutting crusade since their arrival just over a year ago.
Scholes considers the decision to listen to offers for the young Kobbie Mainoo ridiculous
Naturally, the former midfielder echoed that sentiment and said the 19-year-old should stay. Meanwhile, Garnacho, who was ruled out by manager Ruben Amorim for last month's Manchester derby and has struggled to regain his place since, barely made the Scholes cut.
No such kindness was shown to Antony, Joshua Zirkzee, Casemiro or Marcus Rashford, who looks increasingly likely to remain at the club this month despite attempts by both club and player to end their unhappy marriage.
Rashford's representatives spoke to Barcelona director Deco on Tuesday as the Catalans compete with Borussia Dortmund to sign him on loan until the end of the season.
Mail Sport reported earlier this month that Barca have held meetings with Rashford's entourage, and that several European clubs are tracking the fugitive striker.
It is understood that Barcelona have always been Rashford's preference, but given his £350,000-a-week salary, they would have to negotiate the financial burden of a loan deal.
And now there have been more conversations between Rashford's representatives and the Catalan club's directors, including sporting director Deco.
The talks took place in Lisbon, with Barcelona playing in the Champions League in the Portuguese city on Tuesday night against Benfica.
However, the club acknowledged that their search is currently stalled as they do not have the necessary cap space to register Rashford should they be able to agree a deal with Man United.
Barcelona are reportedly hoping they can offload Eric Garcia to ease their financial constraints, while Ansu Fati could also leave to free up space for Rashford, who is seen as his replacement.